Pages

Friday, June 4, 2010

The End is Near...and I am Excited!

Today is the last Friday I will be teaching math for awhile, if not forever. The school year ends next Thursday and I am excited to start a new chapter in my life and career. I will finally be able to devote ALL of my attention to painting and do what I love fulltime. In addition, I will be getting married this Fall and possibly moving to another state. It is a time for change for both me and my future husband and it feels great...but scary too.

Will I miss teaching math and being around teenagers? Sure. I LOVE learning about different concepts in math and challenging myself and my students to think differently about it. I love the puzzles that math problems create and have often gotten giddy about certain problems or solutions (and yes, the kids think that is funny and weird). I love seeing that look on a student's face when she FINALLY understands and feels at ease with what she is doing. I love the relationships that I have formed with some of my students that have continued years after I was their teacher. I love making a difference in someone's life.

All of these things, I will miss and all of these things will no longer be a part of my everyday life. I've lived this part of my life for thirteen years and now it's time for a change. It's time for me to spread my wings and see how far I can fly as an artist uninhibited by the limitations of having a day job that keeps me out of the studio. It's time for me to see if I can really make it in the world as an artist, and more importantly, as a successful artist. It is a scary journey which will undoubtedly have some ups and downs. There will be times when I will be questioning my decision to quit my job. There will be days when I will wonder if I am really cut out for this kind of life. But with these doubts, there will also be days when I KNOW this is right for me and hopefully those days will be plentiful and will outweigh the bad days. Next week I can change my title from math teacher to fulltime artist and it feels wonderful!

Image: "Girl on Bike" Work in progress... 12" x 12" , oil and soon to have encaustic wax on birch panel.

About Me

Jhina Alvarado is a self-taught artist who is represented by galleries across the United States. Her work has been featured in various international and national magazines, blogs, and art technique books. She currently works part-time as a calculus and pre-calculus teacher at the Ruth Asawa School of the Arts and paints full-time in her home studio in San Francisco.
Visit her website at www.jhinaalvarado.com